WhatsApp shows two things about your activity: last seen (when you last opened the app) and online (that you have WhatsApp open right now). You can hide both, from everyone or from selected people.

Hide last seen and online

  1. Open WhatsApp → Settings (Android: tap ⋮ → Settings).
  2. Tap Privacy → Last seen and online.
  3. Under Who can see my last seen, choose Nobody, My contacts or My contacts except….
  4. Under Who can see when I’m online, choose Same as last seen.

With last seen set to Nobody and online set to “Same as last seen”, nobody sees when you are on WhatsApp.

Hide it from just a few people

Choose My contacts except… and tick the people (for example, your boss or a nosy relative). Everyone else still sees your last seen.

The catch

  • If you don’t share your last seen, you can’t see other people’s last seen either.
  • People can still see when you are typing in a chat with them.
  • Blue ticks (read receipts) are separate. See read messages without blue ticks.

WhatsApp changes its menus from time to time and they differ slightly between Android and iPhone. If an option has moved, look for it under Settings → Privacy, Chats or Account, or update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store.

Why people hide it

Last seen invites questions: “I saw you were online, why didn’t you reply?” Hiding it gives you breathing space, protects you from people who track your habits, and makes it harder for scammers to know when you are active. Many people hide last seen from everyone except close family.

Problems and fixes

  • Option is greyed out: update WhatsApp; very old versions only had last seen, not the online setting.
  • Someone still knows you’re online: they may see you typing in their chat, or see your blue ticks. Turn off read receipts too if that matters.
  • You can’t see a friend’s last seen: either they hid it, you hid yours (it’s reciprocal), or they blocked you.

Android vs iPhone

The settings are the same. On Android, open Settings from the ⋮ menu at the top right of the Chats screen; on iPhone, Settings is a tab at the bottom of the screen.

More privacy settings worth checking

  • Profile photo: Settings → Privacy → Profile photo → My contacts, so strangers can’t download it.
  • About: limit who sees your About text.
  • Groups: Settings → Privacy → Groups → My contacts, so strangers can’t add you to scam groups.

This guide was checked in October 2026. Menus and services change, so if something looks different on your phone, check with your provider.

Common questions

Can I hide my online status on WhatsApp?

Yes. In Settings → Privacy → Last seen and online, set “Who can see when I’m online” to “Same as last seen”, and set last seen to Nobody or chosen contacts.

If I hide my last seen, can I still see other people’s?

No. If you don’t share your last seen, you can’t see other people’s either.

Can I hide last seen from one person only?

Yes. Choose “My contacts except…” and select the people to hide it from.

Does hiding last seen hide the blue ticks?

No. Read receipts are a separate setting.

Sources